• tucker •

Notes: Every now and then we like to toss in a popular slang or regional term and today we have just the word for that category: tucker as in "plumb tuckered out". This phrase is still moderately common down South, especially in the Southwest. Plumb in that phrase is just as interesting. Anything that is plumb is absolutely vertical, perfectly aligned, so it is easy to see how in some areas it became a synonym of absolutely and perfectly.

In Play: In addition to a geographical region where this word is heard, there is a generational region as well. Those of us in the upper age levels will be heard saying things like: "I don't like riding these new-fangled bicycles that don't even have wheels because they tucker me out something awful and I don't even get anywhere!" In Australia, you might hear something like this: "Tucker tucked away almost all the tucker before the party began."

Word History: A tucker was someone who finished woven materials by stretching them on tenters. Tuckers 'tucked', that is, stretched to the limit, newly woven cloth before putting it on sale. 'Plumb tuckered out' would be the state of someone who had just been stretched to their limit, as though on a rack. (Today's Good Word is dedicated to one of my childhood heroes, actor George 'Gabby' Hayes [1885-1969], pictured at the left, who often found himself "plumb tuckered out" from supporting the leading man in the 190 mostly western movies he played in.)

Procrustes, of course, is the mythical robber who stretched his victims over a bed frame giving rise to the meaning, "producing conformity to an arbitrary standard through violent means."

While "on tenter hooks" refers to hooks on wooden frames used to stretch cloth, giving rise to the meaning "in a state of tension or uncomfortable suspense." It appears this is essentially the same process which produced "all tuckered out."

All under the same tent, you might say. If that's not stretching the truth...

Last edited by MTC on Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

Being born and raised in Texas and now hailing from the Deep South, I have heard "being plumb tuckered out" all my life. Say that down here and everyone immediately knows you're exhausted, usually in the physical sense.

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I'm going to change myself. -- Rumi

Do any of you elderly folks remember the Tucker automobile? Scams are not anything new. According to Drew Pearson the first demo model would not run unless it was pushed down a ramp. And the "inventor" was poised to make millions from investors. At least one evil scheme got scotched. Alas, no! The existing Tucker models sell at a very high price. Sort of like the Spruce Goose.

Philip Hudson wrote:Do any of you elderly folks remember the Tucker automobile? Scams are not anything new. According to Drew Pearson the first demo model would not run unless it was pushed down a ramp. And the "inventor" was poised to make millions from investors. At least one evil scheme got scotched. Alas, no! The existing Tucker models sell at a very high price. Sort of like the Spruce Goose.

It's a bit before my time, but quite coincidentally there's a write up about them in the current Smithsonian magazine. The last one sold went for $2.9 million.

Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

The Tucker automobile was just a little before my time. Your mention of it here piqued my curiosity so I Googled it. Fascinating! Not a bad looking car, either. I've seen some old cars at various car shows but have never seen a Tucker. I was really intrigued to read that the inventor also built what is known as the Tucker Combat Vehicle (complete with turret) but was not accepted by the military because, among other things, it was "too fast". Wonder why I've never seen one of these before.

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I'm going to change myself. -- Rumi